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by peterburkimsher 3179 days ago
Is there a POP or IMAP server for jailbroken iOS?

I tried installing Dovecot from here, but it put my iPhone into a boot loop (try it at your own risk!).

http://ios-webstack.tk

The reason I want it is so that I can distribute arbitrary files to other iPhones using a local WiFi network without sending data to a cloud sharing service. For example, a mixtape of MP3 files, or a photo album.

2 comments

It sounds like you want AirDrop [0]:

> AirDrop is an ad-hoc service in Apple Inc.'s macOS and iOS operating systems [...] which enables the transfer of files among supported Macintosh computers and iOS devices over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, without using mail or a mass storage device.

[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AirDrop

Why not use a static file server listening on a local IP address? Why on earth do you need an email server to transfer files??
The popular jailbreak program iFile allows running a server out of any directory. Not sure if it’s still around or not; I haven’t been jailbroken since about iOS 8, but I’m sure it still is
FTP server or web server, yes. Email server, no.

The benefit of an POP/IMAP email server is that a non-jailbroken iPhone can connect to the local hotspot, add the email account, check mail, and download all the files at once.

Saving photos one at a time via a web server is a hassle. And it doesn't work for other file types (e.g. music).

Had a similar idea.

Wanted to get my vpn keys onto an i-product without A) going over the net and without B) installing itunes.

So I first tried hosting the file on a local webserver, but apple treated it as a text file and displayed it in the browser.

Then I wrote a pop server on android to deliver a client.ovpn file as a mime attachment in an email. Worked wonderfully and thought about extending it to deliver photos from my phone to others' i-products.

You didn't set the MIME type correctly on the server. I know for a fact that you can serve .mobileconfig files to Safari iOS, which will open them as config files if the mimetype is set correctly.

I'm sorry but the idea of using email servers for file exchange, in 2017, is ridiculous.

Agreed, there are most likely projects which exist for this exact purpose. FOSS